by mannytheseacow » Fri Sep 19, 2014 9:29 pm
Hey Drew,
Sorry, I can't do anything about sticky threads, but I hate to see you hanging here with no response.
As far as cob goes, I'd recommend going down to your local library and picking up Ianto Evan's "The Hand Sculpted House". I say go to the library and don't buy it because you're right, the concepts are pretty simple. Once you look through the book a little bit you'll get the jist of it.
In my limited experience with cob, the cob itself is just a means to a mass that supports the plaster. I haven't built a house or anything like that, so that concept might be more precise. I've worked on several stove projects now, both for me and for friends that don't feel comfortable posting their doings on the internet. From my experience all you need to do is dig up about anything and pile it up. The plaster coat will kind of cover everything and hold it together. I've been experimenting with different plasters on two of my stoves over the past month and I'm coming up with some good ideas. I can share them if you want, but nothing I can tell you will compare with you going out and just digging some dirt and piling it up for yourself.
Cheers!
"Knowledge is power. Arm yourself."